1 Kings 8:1-11 — The Ark brought into the Temple
1 Kings 8:12-66 — Blessing, Dedication Prayer, and Benediction
1 Kings 9 — The Lord Appears to Solomon
1 Kings 10 — The Queen of Sheba, Solomon’s Great Wealth
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– The poles used to carry the ark “were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary” (1 Kings 8:8)…apparently, those who carried the ark didn’t want to suffer the fate of their predecessors and touch the ark itself!
– Verse 8:13, “I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you” sounds a bit arrogant. Solomon recovers in his dedication prayer by admitting, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you, How much less this temple I have built!” (8:27). Solomon reminds us that all sin, all fall short, “for there is no one who does not sin” (8:46).
– The Lord appears to Solomon and affirms His promise–both good and bad. Good if Solomon does well, bad if he turns away from God (9:3-9).
– Solomon “gave 20 towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre,” (9:11) but apparently these were not prime real estate.
– The Queen of Sheba was impressed by Solomon, “I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed not even half was told me…” (10:7). Jesus uses her observations in contrast to those who hear Him and yet cannot understand, “The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom” (Luke 11:31).
– However great Solomon was, he was not free from sin. Just a few verses into chapter 11, “the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them” (11:2) and yet “Solomon held fast to them in love…several hundred wives of royal birth…and his wives led him astray” (11:3). “So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done” (11:6) and the “Lord became angry with Solomon” and said, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees…I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you” (11:11).
Even the great fall, the wisest of them all. What hope do I have, a bumbling fool compared to Solomon? What hope? I have the hope of Jesus Christ and the rich blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit to remind me that God is God and all I need to do is turn to him anytime, anywhere. His grace is sufficient.